A 'loosely' acoustic night at the Georgian theatre in Stockton proved to be a big hit with fans as Darlington band The Hyads, Sarah Proctor and The 'acoustic' Who took to the stage in a very well presented and situated venue.

Local girl Sarah Proctor performed a solo acoustic set consisting of some of her own material and covers from the likes of Kings of Leon and Pixie Lott.

What was instantly striking was that the girl can sing. She displayed a very warm, strong voice and had the audience's undivided attention for much of her set.

On occasion nerves did get the better of her but she handled it well. She displayed a decent song-writing ability and could be one to watch in the future.

Second act of the night The 'acoustic' Who followed and attempted to rouse the crowd with covers of The Who classics such as Baba O'Reilly and My Generation.

All credit to the Daltrey and Townshend impersonators. They are obviously big Who fans, and fair play for giving it a go but their performance seemed a little lacklustre and most of the crowd seemed disinterested after a while.

The final act of the night, headlining band The Hyads took to the stage and the term 'loosely' acoustic took effect as the Darlington four-piece had their drummer Terry Jerrom performing light percussion. A convenient factor, as a good beat was just what the crowd needed to wake them back up again.

The Hyads profile has been building rapidly over the last year or so after playing support to the likes of The Subways, Mani & Primal Scream, Alabama 3, The View, Maximo Park, The Wombats and The Stranglers to name but a few.

Usually an electric band, they have a very raw, fast-paced and punky sound which is right at home in a dark, indie disco packed to the rafters.

What was evident here in their more acoustic form is that not only can they turn on the proper rock ‘n’ roll and get bodies on the dance floor, they are also technically spot on as a band.

Lead singer Dave Brittle also benefited from the stripped down set up. He was more audible than in their live electric sets and exhibited a very good voice to go along with his swaggering style and in-between song banter.

Songwriter/bassist Mark Dunn and guitarist Jon Alderson showed an exemplary onstage cohesiveness playing some tracks never before tested acoustically, not that you could tell, and are clearly enjoying their music.

The band quickly picked up pace and got the crowd onside as they whipped through tracks including the excellent Joy Rider's Heaven the Stone Roses inspired Secret Girl the energetic Trouble on the Terraces and new single Didn’t Want It This Way, which is available to buy or download next week.

The phrase saving the best till last couldn’t have been more appropriate as The Hyads launched into the incredible Cops, Cars and Superstars which starts with a melodic bass line before bursting into by far one of the best guitar riffs I have ever heard as Brittle snarls, "cops, cars and superstars, I’ve heard it all before and so have you". For the finale a sterling cover of The Undertones classic Teenage Kicks belts out - a song which has become a popular mainstay in their sets, finishing the night on a very high note.

With tour dates coming up all over the country including Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and Middlesbrough FC's Riverside Stadium, could 2010 be the year for The Hyads?